Jackals
by Locke Demosthenas
Summary: Tales from the other side of the battle...from the mutants that were forced to cooperate with the humans.
1. Character Profiles

Some short bios of the characters I picked, so it'll be easier to keep track of who's who ;)

Name/codename: Duthie "Polecat" Pacol/Whiteout

16, male. He can make people go temporarily blind and deaf, in the sense that they will only hear the sound of a strong wind and see a bright, white light.

Owner: Talentless

Name/codename: Raine Slyder/Hack

18, female. She's been gifted with extreme intelligence which makes her able to hack into virtually any computer, as well as understand someone (and predict their reactions) by analysing their profile. 

Owner: Terraine

Name/codename: Harry John Roberts/FM

19, male. He can control, transmit, and receive radio waves, microwaves, gamma rays, x-rays - you name it. Unfortunately he only has perfect control over radio waves so far, while his control of the others is sorely lacking.

Owner: FM

Name/codename: Lacee Taylor/Toxin

21, female. She's able to spit out an acidic poison that's strong enough to knock someone unconscious or even kill them. 

Owner: Mickey

Name/codename: Major Clive Bancroft

38, male. He's basically a human thermal sensor - he can switch between normal vision and heat vision. He's also the officer in charge of the team. 

Owner: VivaGlam


	2. Prologue

Prologue

There were certain things that most mutants preferred to avoid and certain places they would most definitely stay away from - the FoH, for one. Anti-mutant rallies, to mention another. And depressingly gray prison cells at the local police station, in the company of someone who pretended to be a civilian and failed miserably. Duthie knew military when he saw it, and the guy in front of him was as military as they got. 

"You're sixteen, aren't you?" The man asked, finally breaking the heavy silence in the room. 

Duthie shifted on the chair, growing increasingly uncomfortable with the situation. "Yeah," he mumbled and looked away. At least he didn't have a hangover. Christ...he should've known something was wrong with that girl. She'd looked too sober to be in that club, his instincts had pointed that out, and why hadn't he just _listened_ to them for once?

__

Because you were drunk and she was pulling off your clothes? his inner voice suggested, and yes, there was a bit of truth in that, but he certainly wasn't about to admit that to anyone else. 

"Sixteen," the man repeated, and Duthie was oddly grateful that he didn't have to stand the silence anymore. "You shouldn't have to go to prison - you're too young to handle something like that," he continued, and Duthie could almost delude himself into thinking that the other actually cared. Almost. 

Duthie didn't reply - not much to say anyway, and he didn't want to make things worse by saying something stupid. Because this wasn't a good situation, and even his still-hazy mind knew that. He was a mutant, and he was stuck in a police station with people who knew what he was, and no, things did not look good at all.

"But I might be able to help you, Duthie," the other said slowly, and the boy looked up, vague suspicion in his eyes. Humans did not help mutants, and government goons did not use people's first names.

"What do you mean?" he asked, almost against his will, and the man smiled faintly. 

"I can help you, if you're willing to help me." He paused and watched the boy for a long moment. "You're not a danger to society, we both know that. You just want to be left alone and live your life, don't you?"

Duthie nodded in agreement, because there wasn't really a point in lying now and he knew that. 

"Well, not everybody agrees with you. There are mutants out there who are more than willing to take out their hatred on innocent people, and sometimes we need other mutants' help to bring them in," the man explained patiently, the words sounding suspiciously well-rehearsed. 

__

Need other mutants' help to- Duthie's eyes narrowed at the man as his mind, still hazy from last night's party, caught up with the words. "You want me to-"

"Help us, yes," the man replied. "In return, we'll keep you out of prison and make sure you're cared for. We're not asking you to betray your own kind - we're asking you to help us bring in known criminals."

__

Same thing, Duthie said silently, not wishing to push his luck. No, he wasn't stupid - his grades might indicate otherwise, but that was just school, and that didn't mean he lacked common sense. He knew what the other was asking, knew that there were mutants working for the humans, using their powers against their own kind. And it wasn't just 'known criminals' they helped bring down - it was mutants and mutant supporters and whoever else were unlucky enough to capture the government's attention, and why did they have to pick _him_?

His question must have showed in his eyes as the other smiled faintly again. "We picked you because we know about your power, Duthie, and we know that you can make things much easier for us. It's hard to fight if you suddenly go blind and deaf, and that would be a big advantage against the more dangerous mutants out there."

And yes, that made sense, he had to admit that, but why _him_? He didn't know the first thing about weapons or fighting or mutants, and he wasn't even that good at controlling his power and-

__

Get a grip on yourself! his inner voice snapped, cutting off the mental ramblings, and Duthie took a deep breath to calm himself down. _Ooh, boy. This is...not good. No, not good at all._

"Duthie?" The man raised an eyebrow, and the boy slowly shook his head to clear his mind.

"I'm not - why me?" He asked, gray eyes widening in confusion. "I can't really fight - I can barely control my powers. I'm not..." 

"Useful?" the other suggested, and Duthie nodded mutely. "We'll make sure you get the right training to handle it. It's not suicide missions - we don't want you to get killed."

__

Right, Duthie's more cynical side remarked, but Duthie ignore it. No, he wasn't dumb enough to actually believe everything the man said, but still...what choices did he have? He didn't want to go to prison. "And if I agree?"

The man shrugged, hiding a faint smile at the boy's question. The mutant had already been won over, he knew that. The rest of the argument would just help the boy justify why he should work for them. "If you agree you'll work for us, and we'll take care of you. Food, clothes, accommodations - whatever you need, we'll take care of. In return you'll be part of a black ops force."

He paused but Duthie didn't reply, for once preferring to stay silent and listen instead. "We have several of those teams. One of them, the Jackals, lost one of their members a while back. You'll be there as a replacement. When it comes to missions, your team will take orders from us, but otherwise your commanding officer will be Major Clive Bancroft." 

Duthie frowned. He didn't like the military, never had - too strict for him, too much discipline - and working for them wasn't exactly an option he liked. "And if I refuse?"

The man sent him an even look. "Then you'll be sent to prison and left there. You're sixteen and you can't fight...you'll be defenseless."

Duthie winces silently. The guy had a point, he had to admit that. He didn't like the military but the alternative was even worse, and that was saying something. 

__

So...be a prison punch bag or a mutant lapdog, huh? 

It didn't have much of a choice, really. He knew that and that the military guy knew that and why was he stalling when he already knew what he would have to choose?

"Duthie?" The man's voice interrupted Duthie's thoughts and he sighed.

"Yeah. All right - we have a deal."


	3. Chapter One

Chapter One

Raine shifted restlessly, trying to keep her impatience from showing but didn't do a very good job of it. She hated waiting. Hated, hated, hated it. Computers never made her wait - they were nice and logical and responded immediately, and why didn't anything else *ever* happen on time around here? She glared at the heavy gates, willing the transport with the new mutant to appear but just like the past five times in as many minutes, nothing happened. 

God, she hated waiting. 

Major Clive Bancroft - 'Major' or 'Sir' to the mutant kids who found themselves under his command - sent her a look, his face impassive as ever, and Raine forced herself to stop fidgeting. The Major had already from the beginning treated them as soldiers and the small group had quickly learned to behave like that. Being chewed out verbally was never a pleasant experience and not something they wanted to experience anymore than they had to.

__

Come on...how long can it take? This is the military, right? What happened to being precise?

She shifted again and sent her commanding officer a quick look to make sure he wasn't getting annoyed with her.

She could have been inside instead, in her nice comfortable office chair with her laptop and all that wonderful, expensive computer equipment they'd given her, but no. She was here, and Lacee and Harry were inside, probably enjoying themselves way more than she was.

And why did *she* have to be here, anyway? Why not one of the others? So maybe she was closest to the new kid's age...who cared? She had more important things to do than waiting here -like gathering the information they'd told her to. But no. She was stuck out here, waiting for some annoying little brat that probably couldn't fight for shit, and...

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Ugh.

Another look from the Major, and Raine once more suppressed her feelings of restlessness. One year, and she still hadn't gotten used to it yet. The beginning of yet another restless motion was cut short as the gates finally opened, letting in a dark green military van. 

She perked up, partly from the break in boredom, partly from curiosity and watched silently as her companion approached the van as it came to a stop. She wasn't sure what to expect - they'd quickly learned to make sure that her computer couldn't access the local network, so all she knew were the few bit and pieces she and her two teammates been told. 

One of the doors to the vehicle opened and a boy stepped out, closing his eyes briefly as the sunlight hit him, then looked up and took a cautious look around. 

__

Him? They picked him?! Raine thought incredulously. She'd expected someone who looked young - they'd been told he was sixteen, after all - but this...no. He was several inches shorter than her, and she wasn't exactly tall to begin with. Several inches shorter and with an almost effeminate look to him...no. They had to be kidding. 

She could almost feel her companion tense as he got a good look at this latest addition to the team, and it didn't take a genius to figure out that the man was not at all pleased with what he saw. 

And who could blame him? They'd been stuck here for two months while their 'employers' had tried to find a replacement for the missing forth member of their team, and this was the best they had been able to find? He didn't even look strong enough to hold a gun.

"Duthie Pacol?" Clive asked, his voice impassive as ever, and the boy nodded with a wary look.

"Yeah."

Clive's eyes narrowed slightly. "The correct response, recruit, is 'yes, sir'. I hope I won't have repeat that."

Duthie's eyes widened, clearly not having expected that reaction, and quickly nodded. "Yes, sir."

Clive watched him for another moment, then nodded slowly. "Good." He motioned briefly towards Raine, and she felt the boy's attention turn to her instead. "Private Raine Slyder - she's in charge of intelligence for the Jackals."

The boy nodded and as expected he relaxed slightly at the sight of someone his own age, which was the main reason why Raine had been stuck out here in the first place. To calm down the poor little new mutie kid. 

__

Talk about a waste of time, she snorted, but did what she could to keep her annoyance from showing. After all, an order was an order and you didn't argue with it...no matter how pointless it seemed. 

As she watched, Duthie followed Clive as they headed towards the storage buildings to get his equipment and with a small sigh she headed after them, preparing herself for another hour of boredom. 

- - - - - -

"The new kid arrived."

Harry raised and eyebrow, taking in the obvious annoyance on Raine's face and sent her a deliberately cheerful smile, not bothering to hide his amusement with it all. "And? We're not mind readers, love - give us a little to work with here."

Raine snorted as she crossed the room and sat down in a chair, her annoyance obvious. "You want a little to work with? You've got it, Roberts."

"You're not making sense." This time the comment came from Lacee and Raine make a small, frustrated sound.

"He's sixteen. He's shorter than I am. He's effeminate and he doesn't even look strong enough to hold a gun. Or put in shorter terms: we're screwed."

Lacee frowned slightly as she considered this new information. "What's his power, anyway? Telepathy?"

"No...he told me that he can make people go temporarily blind and deaf," Raine replied. "He didn't tell how he does it, though."

"But still, it's based on his mind," Harry commented, still with lingering amusement. "You shouldn't judge a guy by his size."

Raine snorted, her view of that comment pretty obvious. "But guess who'll have to haul his ass of the fire when it turns out he can't even defend himself?"

"They wouldn't have picked him if he'd been helpless," Lacee pointed out. 

Raine shook her head in disagreement. "Yes, they would - we haven't been on a mission for two months, and you know it was a complete disaster when they tried to get another team to handle our usual jobs. They're getting desperate - they'll pick anything that even *looks* like a mutant."

"I think I'll reserve judgement until I actually see the kid myself," Harry commented dryly.

"And get the chance to scare the life out of him by 'accidentally' turning on his TV and radio in the middle of the night?" Raine guessed. "The Major's going to skin you alive if you try that trick again, you know that."

Another cheerful smile from Harry. "But it's an honest accident. I just haven't gained complete control of my powers yet."

Raine rolled her eyes. "Right. But who knows when we'll see him again? Last time it took days before they were done with the new recruit. He probably won't show up until tonight, at the very earliest." 

And even that was an optimistic guess - giving the kid his equipment and a quick tour wouldn't take too long. But the evaluations...Raine remembered them all too well. They liked being on the safe side here, and a psychological evaluation while the 'patient' was still tired and confused was more likely to show possible weaknesses than the normal prison tests were. So yes, evening at the very earliest, more likely the day after...and that only if they found the kid acceptable. That didn't always happen. 

"Hopefully, he'll last longer than the last one," Lacee commented and stretched out lazily on her bed, her voice showing no real regret. The last one had been a pompous prick, they all agreed on that. A telepath, yes, and powerful, but still a pompous, annoying prick, and the fact that it was his own overconfidence that had gotten him killed had only added a sense of fairness to it all. 

"That wouldn't take much," Raine replied, her attention already turned to her laptop, fingers dancing across the keys as she started to sort through the files she'd downloaded before her involuntarily break. "He's what...the fourth one?"

"Fifth," Harry corrected. "There was one more before you came along." 

It wasn't a very good statistic, everyone on the base knew that. Every team needed a mutant that would be able to take down the harder targets from a distance - on rare occasions a tame telepath, but more often someone like Duthie - and the fact that none of these mutants lasted very long with the Jackals was a constant annoyance to the people in charge. Finding someone with the powers needed was never easy, but it had to be done - because the team was good, everyone on the base knew that as well. They were certainly better than the rest, and without a fourth member they would not be able to go on missions.

It was an annoyance to the military, and even more so to the team itself. Being stuck at the base for months at a time was boring to say the least.

"If they let him through, maybe we'll finally get to do something again," Lacee remarked. "I feel useless here. Nothing to do, nothing to see, just...waiting."

"Well, judging from this we should get a new target soon," Raine said absently, nodding at her laptop. "Unless they just told me to hack something to keep me from getting bored."

Harry closed his eyes contentedly, not bothering to look at his teammate as he replied. "Considered what happened last time you got bored, I wouldn't put it above them."

He smiled at the vaguely annoyed look he knew would follow, and Raine watched him for another moment before she turned back to her computer. "It's not like I found anything useful back then, anyway," she mumbled, her fingers never stopping their quick motions over the keyboard. Now that the hacking itself had been handled she could feel her restlessness return, and she sighed softly at the thought of the many files she'd have to decrypt. 

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Long day ahead.

- - - - - -

And to the reviewers...

Cajun Rose - *mock bow* Thank you. I aim to please.

Koneko Tenshi - a cameo? It might be possible. Let me see what I can figure out.


	4. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Duthie Pacol was confused. Confused and wary and exhausted, and if he hadn't been so overwhelmed by everything, he would probably have started to doubt the wisdom of his decision. Not that he'd had much of a choice, but still...had he been given the time, he would have started to question the whole thing by now. 

As things were, the psychologists that had been assigned to his case were very well aware of this, and had absolutely no intentions of taking that risk. Their orders were clear - the Jackals were needed soon, and if Duthie couldn't handle the pressure, they had to know immediately, while they still had time to find someone else.

There was no guarantee that he could handle it just because he passed their evaluations, but it still provided a good insight into his mind, and more importantly it gave them the opportunity to look for any signs of potential weakness or impending mental breakdown. And evaluations like those worked especially well when the patient in question had not yet had the time to adapt to his surroundings. 

Duthie sighed and curled up on the chair, muscles already beginning to complain from the time he'd spent sitting in the otherwise empty room. He wasn't sure how long he'd been - he'd arrived at the base before noon, and it had taken perhaps half an hour to get his new equipment and a quick tour of the place, which would probably have made it noon by the time he'd been left with these people, but...it didn't really help much. Nobody had told him what time it was, and the room had no windows to give any indication of the time of day. Evening, maybe? He was certainly getting hungry...and tired. Early night?

He made a small, frustrated sound. Being stuck there was driving him nuts. The doctors had show up occasionally, asked some questions, made some notes and then left, leaving Duthie seemingly alone once more. But only seemingly. They were still watching, he knew that. He'd been able to hear them occasionally, taking outside the door, voices just low enough to make the words impossible to make out, and he was pretty sure that the large mirror on one of the walls wasn't just for decoration. They had watched his every move since he arrived, and he didn't like the thought at all. 

Another small sound and he shifted again, growing increasingly restless. He was bored. Bored and tired and hungry and confused, and _why_ did he have to be stuck here, when-

He looked up as the door opened, revealing not a doctor but instead the soldier that had greeted him when he'd arrived. 

Duthie frowned, trying to remember the name through the exhaustion he felt. _Bencraft...?_ _Bancroft. Right._

More movement at the door, and one of the psychologists stepped into the room as well, sparing Duthie only the briefest of looks before he turned his attention to the soldier instead, a frown visible on his face.

"I can't say I agree with this, major - he passed all the initial evaluations, but we need more time if we want to make sure he can handle it," the doctor said, gesturing at the papers in his hand. "We don't know if-"

"Orders are orders, doctor. We need him now," Bancroft disagreed. "If he breaks, we'll find out."

The doctor obviously didn't agree with the situation, but he nodded anyway. "All right...I'll have someone leave his equipment at the barracks." Another brief look at the boy, then a shrug. "He's all yours, major."

Duthie perked up at the possibility of getting out of this place, but didn't say anything, remembering all too well how intimidating the major had been earlier. 

The man sent Duthie a look, mentally assessing his condition. "Get moving, recruit. We have a job to do."

There was no hint of emotions in the words, just a brief, curt order, but it was more than enough to make Duthie get out of the chair immediately. "Yes, sir."

He followed the major out of the door, down the hallway, and was oddly relieved as he looked back and found that the doctor hadn't followed them. They might just be doing their jobs, but that didn't mean he had to like them. 

The major sent the boy a brief look, easily guessing his thoughts. "Did they pull any mindgames with you, kid?"

Duthie frowned. "No, sir...well, I don't think so, sir," he quickly corrected. He wasn't sure about much of the stuff they'd asked him about, so who knew what they'd been doing with his head? He certainly didn't. 

The hallway finally came to an end and they stepped out the door, into the crisp air of the night, a faint breeze sending goose bumps across his skin and made him acutely aware of the fact that his new jacket was with the rest of his stuff in...wherever they were going to dump him.

He sighed as he realized yet another thing - he didn't know where he was. The van had been completely closed, the windows covered by black paint, and...they'd driven around for hours. This could be anywhere.

Duthie hesitated for a moment, then look at the man beside him. "Sir?" the other looked at him, and Duthie continued. "Excuse me for asking, but...where are we, sir?"

"You'll find out when you need to, recruit," Bancroft replied dismissively, and the boy fell silent once more. He didn't want to push his luck, not with this guy. He might not be very old, and he might not be the most responsible person on the planet, but he did have some survival instincts, and right now they told him to shut up and do as he was told for just once in his life. 

He followed the other silently, in his exhaustion not really noticing their surroundings until they stopped in front of one of the many barracks in the area. Bancroft stepped inside, and Duthie hesitated for a brief second before following, not quite sure about this at all.

----------

Lacee looked up as the door opened, vaguely aware that her two teammates did the same thing. They were used to getting strange orders, and this whole deal most definitely belonged in that category. Unlike most of the soldiers on the base, they'd been granted a certain freedom - nobody told them when to go to sleep, for one, and while they had to wear military clothing, uniform had never been a requirement. The only thing they didn't really have any control of was the time they had to get up, mainly because of the rather unpleasant training their major insisted on dragging them through every morning. 

So being told around midnight that they couldn't go to sleep just yet had been odd. Having to wait for another couple of hours while nothing happened had been even stranger. Lacee had been tempted to head to bed anyway, just to make a point, but curiosity had made her stay. After two months of boredom, she'd take whatever entertainment she could get.

Major Bancroft stepped into the man room, followed by a smaller figure, and Lacee blinked. Honestly, she'd thought Raine had exaggerated about their new teammate, and hey, she herself would probably have done the same things. Finding that she hadn't exaggerated one bit was...

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Damn.

Lacee watched the boy carefully and realized that Raine's analysis had been spot-on. Small kid...fragile, too. Very femme, very...

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Weak.

Lacee frowned at the word, but had to admit that it was true. The boy looked weak - why he'd been picked, she didn't know, but there was no way he'd last. It would be a miracle if he survived even the first mission. 

She exchanged a brief look with Harry, and to those who know what to look for, it was obvious that he agreed completely with her assessment of the new kid. He wouldn't last. No way.

Bancroft sent them a long look, silently daring any of them to comment, then motioned for Duthie to step forward

"Jackals, meet Duthie Pacol, your new teammate. Duthie - this is your new team. I suggest you get to know them."

Duthie shifted uneasily, uncomfortable with the sudden attention, and Lacee exchanged another quick look with Harry.

"Sir?" she asked, looking at Bancroft. "Was that the only reason why we had to stay up and wait for hours?" Even though she tried to keep her voice neutral, a hint of her annoyance still slipped through, earning her a reprimanding look from the man before he put a stack of files on the table. 

"No, private, it wasn't. You just got your new mission. Be ready to leave tomorrow at eighteen-hundred hours."

"This soon? But we just got the-"

Another look from the major, and Lacee fell silent again, although clearly not liking the situation at all.

"Yes, private, this soon. You're professionals - I suggest you start to act like it."

Lacee sighed, but didn't argue further. "Yes, Sir," she replied, although with obvious reluctance, and Bancroft waited for another moment before turning to the others.

"Any questions?" Only silence greeted his words, and he nodded slowly. "Good. Dismissed."


	5. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

"Aquatic powers? We'll have to take her down from a distance, then. Getting close would be too dangerous," Lacee said, eyes fixed on the files in front of her, skimming through the information once more.

Duthie hid a yawn behind his hand, the voices of his new teammates blending together to form a monotonous hum, doing nothing to help on his tiredness. It was too early. Way, way too early. He wasn't sure how the others were able to be this awake after four hours of sleep, but he honestly didn't care at the moment. All he wanted was the chance to get some sleep, but as long as the others kept talking, that probably wasn't going to happen. 

"A bullet could solve that problem," Harry suggested. "Her powers aren't that unusual. If we can't take her down in another way, we might have to kill her instead."

"But they want her alive," Raine disagreed, hand pointing at something in the files, but Duthie was too tired to care what it was, or if it had anything to do with him. "Her power might be common, but it's still useful." 

"Alive, unless we don't have a choice," Harry corrected. "You know how much havoc elementals cause. They're hard to take down."

"Which is why we'll try to take her down from a distance first," Lacee said, efficiently cutting through their argument. Grey eyes rested for a moment on her teammates, then turned to Duthie. "How close do you have to be to take her out?"

Duthie looked up, the sudden question dragging him out of his half-unconscious state, and he blinked in surprise. "Huh?"

Lacee's eyes narrowed in annoyance at the boy. "I said, how close do you have to be to take her out? Pay attention, Duthie - you have a job to do."

Duthie blinked, taken aback by her annoyance, and it took a moment before his mind was able to register the question and think up a suitable reply. 

"I don't know for sure how close I have to be," he finally admitted with a small sigh. "I haven't really used them that much, but...it kind of fades out. Thirty feet, I think, and then...any further away, and I'm not sure how strong it will be."

A quick look exchanged between the other three, and Raine looked down. "Great...he doesn't even have any training with his powers," she mumbled. "Fucking great."

This time Duthie looked vaguely annoyed, but before he had the chance to comment on it, the others continued their discussion, planning with the ease that came only with months of practice and left Duthie feeling hopelessly stupid in comparison.

"Can we distract her in some way, then?" Lacee suggested. "I need to get just as close if I want to use my poison, and being on the streets, it's doubtful there'll be anything you can work with, Harry."

"No...no, we can't," Raine replied. "According to the file, she's a street kid. And street kids that let themselves be distracted won't survive for long."

"A gun, then?" Harry again, and Raine looked up, turning her attention to him instead. "A bullet in the leg won't kill her, but it'll keep her in too much pain to use her powers. Shoot her, and then have the kid take her out."

Lacee frowned, a thoughtful look crossing her face as she considered the option, mentally weighing the pros and cons. It was the best plan they'd managed to come up with so far, but still...if they were unlucky, the bullet would sever an artery, and the target would bleed to death before they could get her back to the base. On the other hand, it wasn't like they had much of a choice. Sedatives would take too long to work and in the time it took, they'd be vulnerable to attacks. And since the new kid would only be useful at a short distance...

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Yeah.

She nodded slowly. It could work - the pain of a gunshot wound combined with Duthie's powers would incapacitate the target, and they'd be able to sedate her and bring her back without too much trouble. 

"Sounds like a plan to me," she admitted. "Raine?"

The girl tilted her hear slightly, thoughtfully, considering the information they had on the target. "I think it'll work. She's used to her powers and use them pretty well, but I don't think she has much experience in using them while in pain. And if that isn't enough, the shock should stun her for long enough to get close to her and let Duthie do his job."

"Great. It's settled, then," Lacee decided. "Let's get some sleep before we leave, I think we need it."

There was a general agreement as Raine and Harry got up, neither allowing their tiredness to show, but still very much aware that they could use the rest. They could both make due with very little rest, especially Harry, but still...who knew when they'd be back again?

Duthie hesitated for a moment, but stayed where he was, watching Lacee carefully. Finally the other looked up, a vaguely annoyed look on her face. "What?"

"Aren't you going to ask for my opinion?" Duthie asked, faint hurt and annoyance tainting the words. He was part of the team, too, right? Wasn't he supposed to have something to say in this?

"No, I'm not," Lacee replied. "Because quite frankly, you're nothing but a problem right now. You don't have any training, you can't use your powers from long distances, and you have no clue what's going on. Until you do, you shut up and do as you're told. Got it?" 

Duthie blinked, surprised flickering across his face at her harsh words. He wasn't used to that, wasn't used to having people snap at him or dismiss him so easily. "But-"

Lacee raised an eyebrow. "Can you at least use a gun?" she asked, cutting off his objections before he could continue. 

Duthie looked down for a moment, then sighed. "No," he admitted. "I've never really..."

"Knives?" Lacee asked with a frown, slowly realizing that yes, Raine's initial verdict had indeed been right, and they really should have learned to trust her skills by now. "Any kind of weapon?"

"No," Duthie replied, and this time Lacee heard the resignation in his voice as he too realized that no, there wasn't much he could contribute with and no, this wasn't a good situation at all, especially not for him.

For a long moment Lacee watched him, weighing her options when it came to the boy and their situation in general, then sighed. "When we get back, you need to practice with your powers. We need you to be able to take someone out from a long distance, and..." Another pause as she watched Duthie. "A gun. You need to learn how to use a gun. I'll teach you."

The boy shifted uneasily, obviously not at all comfortable with the thought of a gun, but already knowing better than to argue about it. It was obvious that Lacee was more or less in charge of the group, and following orders would probably be the best option, even if he weren't exactly used to that. Obeying authorities had never been a favorite past time of his.

Another moment passed, and then Lacee expression softened ever so slightly, and Duthie felt himself relax a bit. "Just try to get out of this mission alive. We'll worry about your training when we get back. Just...do your best, and try not to get killed."

Duthie nodded, oddly reassured by the words. They were people just like him...if they could survive it, so could he. He'd survived worse.

__

Yeah, usually influenced by alcohol or worse, his mind added, but Duthie pointedly ignored that little fact. The point wasn't that he occasionally did stupid things when he was drunk, the point was that he'd survived, and he'd damn well survive this as well.

"Go get some rest. Just be up again an hour before we leave," Lacee said, and Duthie sent her a pale smile, thankful for the chance to get some more sleep. He was used to staying out at night, and sleeping in at day, and this little sleep didn't agree with him, especially not after the past couple of days. He needed rest, no doubt about that. 

A tired nod, the back of a hand hiding a yawn, and Duthie left the room in search of his bed, leaving Lacee behind, gray eyes following the boy as he left. 

"He needs training."

Lacee spun around, surprised by the voice, and found Major Bancroft standing behind her, face as impassive as ever. "He does," she agreed and her voice changed from the harsh tone she'd used with Duthie to a more submissive one, her respect for the man obvious. "I'll take care of it when we get back, sir." She paused, then continued a bit hesitant. "Will you be coming with us, sir?"

A flicker of amusement in the light blue eyes. "It's a beginner's mission, private. You should be able to handle that yourself." And in truth, it was. They were usually given harder tasks than this, but obvious someone in charge had showed enough common sense to realize that until the latest addition to the group had gotten some training, it would be limited how much they'd be able to accomplish.

A small sigh from the girl, and she nodded. "Yes, sir."

The man frowned slightly, eyes resting briefly on the door Duthie had left from. "He has a certain potential," he noted thoughtfully.

"If he survives, sir," Lacee pointed out. "He's...he can learn it in time, but that won't help if he gets killed on his first mission."

The major raised an eyebrow. "Then make sure he stays alive, private. He's your teammate now, and you should treat him as such."

Lacee sighed again, not at all happy with the prospect of playing babysitter for a kid like Duthie, but knew better than to argue. "Yes, sir."

Bancroft nodded. "Good luck, Taylor," he said, real concern for his team shining through for a brief moment, before it faded, leaving only the stern military attitude behind. "Dismissed."


	6. Chapter Four

Sorry about the lateness of this chapter - your truly ended up on an impromptu vacation, and was unfortunately unable to finish the chapter before he left for a week of cultural, intellectual, and spiritual growth in various nightclubs on Madeira. 

Chapter Four

It was cold. A wet, unpleasant cold brought on by the fine drops of rain that fell around them, covering the world in a thin layer of water, slowly but surely making their way through his waterproof jacket and leaving his clothes underneath uncomfortably damp. 

Duthie shivered and pulled his coat closer, looking for heat, but finding very little, his military jacket exchanged for an old, torn coat to make him fall into the surroundings and make him look like the rest of the people in the area, haphazardly made shelters speaking their clear language about this place. He wasn't unused to this sort of place - he'd seen it before, places where homeless and mutants and all things unwanted settled down and tried to make a living - but that didn't mean he had to like it one bit. 

Beside him Lacee brushed a lock of wet hair out of her face and pulled her own coat closer as well, probably feeling as uncomfortable as Duthie himself did, but didn't allow it show, too used to hiding her feelings. 

"Where is she?" Duthie asked, and his eyes slowly surveyed the area, looking for the girl they'd seen in the file.

"Down by the river, probably" Lacee replied quietly. "She'll want water nearby, just in case she has to fight."

And it made sense, Duthie could see that, but damn it...he was tired and wet and cold, and even the people around here were smart enough to seek shelter from the rain. Why did _he_ have to get stuck with the people who thought that a bit of rain was perfectly fine? 

"We found her." The words interrupted his thoughts, the voice unnaturally clear through the small radio in his ear, completely unaffected by static noise and bad transmission, and Duthie shifted uneasily, not entirely comfortable with the way his male teammate manipulated radio waves.

"Where?" 

"By the river, as we'd suspected. Under the bridge - they're created a shelter underneath," Harry replied, and if he felt as uncomfortable in the rain as Duthie did, he didn't let it show. 

Lacee frowned at his words. "They?" 

"She's not alone, love," Harry replied, dry amusement in his voice. "There are about two dozen people or so where she is, but I doubt they'll be any trouble."

"Humans?" Lacee guessed. It wasn't exactly common for a lone mutant to hide among humans - the risk of discovery would be too big - but it usually worked for the mutants fortunate enough to look normal.

"We suspect so," Harry confirmed. "None of them show any signs of mutations, so they shouldn't prove too much of a bother."

Lacee nodded. "Got it. We'll be there in five." 

The faint hum from the radio disappeared, and the girl looked at Duthie. "Come on - let's go," she said and headed down the gravel path that led below the bridge, the wide structure itself towering high above them, the sounds of cars crossing the bridge growing increasingly loud as they got closer. 

"Won't the other people be a problem?" Duthie asked, not entirely sure about the whole thing. He didn't have their training, but even _he_ realized that trying to take someone down among a dozen people could be a bit of a problem.

Lacee shook her head, wet strands of black hair sticking to her face, and she reached up with a vague annoying look to brush them away. "No really. People like these are used to being unwanted by the cops. The moment we shoot at the target, the others will seek cover, and we'll be able to take her out."

They reached the bridge and blessed shelter from the rain, and Duthie saw his other two teammates wait by one of the concrete pillars, looking only a bit less soaked than Duthie himself felt. Lacee looked around, taking a moment to survey the area, then narrowed her eyes slightly. "Down by the river...she's the one?"

Raine nodded. "She's the one," she confirmed, and Lacee watched the target for a moment longer, rethinking their plan. The target wasn't alone here, and it wasn't like a few more street kids would be that uncommon in a place like this. If she could get Duthie close enough to take her out without having to shoot the girl, then...she frowned thoughtfully, eyes still lingering on the girl. And she had her poison, too - if Duthie could distract the girl, it wouldn't take much to get close enough to use her poison. Sure, the target might die if she misjudged the strength of the poison, but then again, shooting her would pose just a big of a risk.

She nodded slowly, then looked at her teammate. "Harry, Raine - find somewhere to get a clear shot at her. Duthie and I will see if we can get close enough to use our powers. If he takes her out, I'll be able to poison her without too much trouble."

"If you want to knock her out, you'll have to use a weak poison, and they don't work immediately," Harry reminded her, and Lacee sent him a faint, comforting smile.

"I know. If she even _looks_ like she's about to use her powers, shoot her."

The order was cold, uncaring, and Harry nodded in reply, eyes already searching the area for a place to get a clear shot at the girl, but still be close enough to get down to the other half of the team fast if they should need help with the girl. 

"Over there." Raine nodded towards spot a bit above the river, half hidden in the shadows from the bridge, and Harry nodded in reply before the two disappeared, leaving Lacee and Duthie alone again. 

"Thirty feet, you said?" Lacee looked at the boy, and he nodded. "Good. I should be able to hit her from that distance as well."

She slowly started to move closer to the target, being careful not to stand out from the people around them, and Duthie followed, doing his best to hide his reluctance. He didn't like this. He didn't like this at all, but he was also smart enough to shut up and follow orders - the sooner they got this over with, the sooner they'd be out of the unpleasant weather.

They made their way towards the river, down to target who was thankfully not close to anyone else - the fewer people she was surrounded by, the fewer people they'd have to deal with if something went wrong.

A bit away from the girl Lacee stopped, brining Duthie to a halt as well. "You think you're close enough to hit her from here?"

Duthie frowned, mentally judging the distance. "Yeah...I am," he decided. 

A quick look behind them, checking that the other two were in place, and Lacee nodded to the boy. "Work your magic, then."

Duthie focused on the target and drew on his mutant powers, the frown marring his features revealing too well that control was still a struggle, and that he was far from used to actually using his skills. Theory was one thing; practice was something very different. 

He could feel the strain on his mind as he concentrated on making the blow strong enough to keep the target from doing anything, from even having the time to realize what had happen, and he felt his control slowly grow stronger, powers expanding in his mind, and-

"What are you two doing here?" The question was sharp, demanding, and tore through Duthie's concentration, and with a sudden surge of panic he felt the power he'd managed to gather disappear again, slipping through his fingers like sand, faded away harmlessly.

Lacee reacted instantly, motions almost too fast to keep track of as she knocked the man unconscious, but despite her quick reaction, they were in trouble, she knew that - they hadn't counted on these people actually keeping track of who belonged here and who didn't, and if one of them had seen through them, then surely someone else would, too. And the target-

Lacee spun around just as the girl by the river did the same, instantly realizing the danger that the two newcomers posed, and suddenly Lacee felt rain against her face, blurring her vision as the raindrops actually changed their course midair, long, thin ropes of rain bending around the bridge, hammering against the ground below. 

She looked up, and even through the curtain of water she could still see the water in the river rise obediently into a tall wave, guided by the young mutant, and Lacee noted with an odd detachment that the file had been wrong, that the target's control was better than just 'good', and that someone would probably pay dearly for that mistake, when-

A bullet pierced the air as Harry reacted only seconds after everything had blown up, the metal piercing flesh and muscle, and the rain below the bridge stopped instantly as its source of strength was gone, keeled over on the ground, hands clenching the large bullet-wound in her thigh.

Running, a scream somewhere nearby as someone realized what had happened, and Lacee hoped that they would run, rather than stay and try to help the target. Raine had tried to explain it to her once, explained how people reacted as a group, and how they would usually react to a shooting, and while Lacee honestly couldn't remember the details, she desperately hoped that the girl had been right, and that they would be able to get the target away without any problems. 

She hurried down to the river, to where the target was lying, only vaguely aware that Duthie followed her, fingers instinctively finding the pulse. It was fast, as expected, but still strong, and the bleeding from the wound didn't seem bad enough to have been caused by a severed artery - perhaps they'd get the girl back alive after all.

Footsteps as the other two arrived, and Lacee looked up, quickly checking their surroundings.

"The others ran - the areas is clear at the moment, but it won't last for long," Harry said, confirming her suspicions. 

She nodded. "Good. Let's get her out of here, then."

Harry smiled dryly, then reached down to pick up the girl, easily carrying her slim frame. "At least she's small," he noted.

Lacee smiled wryly in return. "Yeah...at least she's small."

Another quick look around, noting with relief that the others had yet to come back, and then they disappeared into the rain, heading for home. 


End file.
